Seikatsu
by happydemonhobo
Summary: Complete: Prequel to King Enma's Kishi. Kurama tries to live a normal life after the Underworld Tournament, but things don't go the way he planned.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho…it belongs to the creators and such.

Summary: Prequel to **King Enma's Kishi.** Kurama tries to live a normal life after the underworld tournament, but things don't go quite the way he planned.

The saga is called: **Shiren no Jinsei Nendakiki** (or **Trials**, act of being tested/hardship, **of Life**, lifespan, **Chronicles**)

Rated: **T**

**Seikatsu**

**Chapter 1: What a Day**

"Kurama…look out!" Yusuke yelled, firing a spirit gun blast at a demon that was right behind the red head. The red head plastered himself to the ground just as the blast hit the demon, causing it to fall forward and land on top of him, pinning him to the ground.

Kurama was pined on his stomach and was getting ready to push himself up when the weight suddenly disappeared. He got to his knees in time to see Yusuke and Kuwabara throw the dead demon off to the side.

"Are you okay man…that's not your blood is it?" Kuwabara asked, taking in the look of the former spirit yoko.

Kurama's yellow tunic was covered in blood, most of it was on the back, with some of it pooling around his side to the front. "I am fine and no, this is not my blood, thanks to Yusuke." He said, standing up and looking to the raven haired boy with a small smile that said 'thanks'.

"Well I guess that's that. We need to inform Koenma so he can clean up…we'll probably have some explaining to do." Yusuke said, pulling out his communicator to call Botan. He filled her in on the latest event so she could tell Koenma and get the clean up started.

"Koenma wants to see you all in his office tomorrow morning guys. He says he needs to talk to you and before you ask, I don't know what about." Botan said before closing the communication.

Yusuke sighed, saying. "I guess we'll find out in the morning then. Do you want to meet in the park and go together or should we just meet there?" He asked looking more to Kurama, knowing Kuwabara would meet him.

"It will be easier if I met you there." Kurama answered. He had taken off his tunic and folded it to hide the blood. The white shirt he had on underneath wasn't as covered and the last thing he needed was someone to see all the blood on him as he made his way home.

"Okay." Kuwabara spoke up. "I'm off to the arcade. I'm still on an adrenaline rush, anyone want to join me?" The orange haired asked while acting like he was using controls to shoot bad guys.

Kurama shook his head. "No thank you Kuwabara, I need to get home and cleaned up." He said and gave Yusuke a 'see yeah' motion as he started walking off.

"How about you then?" The orange haired asked.

Chocolate eyes weren't looking at him. "I want to go and talk to fox boy for a moment, I'll meet you there." Yusuke said and didn't even look back as he ran to catch up with the disappearing figure.

After what seemed like the hundredth time telling Yusuke he was fine and that he would be there in the morning, Kurama made his way to his small two story apartment and let himself in. Not even bothering to turn on lights, he made his way upstairs to his bedroom to finish undressing and get into a hot shower before hitting the bed. He was just entering his room when he saw a shadow over by the window. Thinking it would be odd for a burglar to climb the tree to break in. He waited a moment to see who or what it was before taking action. Then green eyes saw him, or did he, yes, first the white patch of hair and then a pair of crimson eyes staring at him, making eye contact. "Hiei!" He exclaimed in a gasped whisper as he ran over to the window to unlock it. The fire demon's feet had not even touched the floor before the red head pulled the small figure in his arms and held tight, wondering if this was real or if he had finally lost it.

_**(12 months earlier) **_

"I already said I would give you all a month off Kurama and then I need you back to take care of business as usual. I just hope nothing serious happens this month and it takes awhile before any demons get the idea that the portals are open." Koenma, in his toddler form, said while silently cursing the new King Enki for thinking he could stop 'mischief in the Ningenkai'. He just made it easier for the desperate ones to try.

Kurama stood in front of Lord Koenma's desk not liking the answer one bit. He needed to quit being a spirit detective. He had spent the better part of two years working for Yomi, and his decision to stay in the Ningenkai, to realize that, to begin to live a normal ningen life, he needed to give up the part that kept him from living it.

"Besides, it will only be for a few more years, five at the most, by then everything will have calmed down and be on a more diplomatic front." Koenma added as he picked up his stamp to continue processing the never ending paper work piled on his desk. He was basically dismissing the red head without saying it.

Kurama got the hint and turned to leave. 'Koenma be damned.' He thought as the doors closed behind him. He'll just have to bide his time and try to work things out another way. 'I am no longer on probation, he can not get mad at me if I stop showing up to some of the meetings and cases.' Deciding that that might be a start, he made his way home. He wanted to spend the rest of the month he had off with his family.

When he made it home, he walked in on his okasan, step-father and step-brother sitting at the kitchen table.

"Shuiichi, there you are. You left early this morning and we didn't get a chance to talk to you." Shori acknowledged as she got up from the table and walked over to her son, motioning for him to take her empty set.

"What is wrong okasan?" Kurama asked as he sat down and looked at the other faces around the table.

"Well son." His step-father started, trying to decide the best way to tell the news. "We are moving at the end of the month." He didn't wait for a reaction before explaining. "Now I know that's only a few weeks away and that we should have told you earlier, but we didn't even know ourselves. The board wants to start a new office location out of town and wants me to start it. I will be promoting a new director here, until of course you can take over and then my Shuiichi here." He informed, placing his arm around his son's shoulder and giving him a smile.

Kurama didn't know what to think, this was just not a good day, first his meeting with Koenma about wanting to quit and then the news that his 'still new to him' family was moving out of town.

Seeing the look on her son's face, Shori stepped in "Shuiichi dear, you are more than welcome to move with us. The commute might be hard, but we can work around that. I was also thinking, if you want, you can have this house and stay here during the week…then come home on the weekends." She suggested, smiling at the idea, trying to make her son feel better.

Kurama shook his head. "No okasan, it would be better if I got an apartment here. I can pay rent cheaper than the house payment and then you can take the profits from the sale of this place to put down on the new house." He said, starting to like this idea. He wouldn't need to worry about lying to his family as much when he needed to work a case. "Besides." He added. "I will not have time to keep up on a place this big. If I come to see you every weekend or so, I won't even have time to cut the grass, an apartment would be easier."

"Well, if that's your decision then, it's a good one." Shori agreed, not wanting to realize her only son was grownup and ready to be on his own. 'He's grown so much these past few years, I haven't really noticed since he's been gone a lot.'

"If you will excuse me, I need to go see if there are any apartments available, I don't have much time." Kurama said getting up from the table and deciding the best bet would be to find a newspaper with apartment ads.

He got lucky and thanked Inari for it, there was an apartment opening up at the end of the month and it was next to Genkai's temple. He could not have gotten any luckier. Now he could meet the others at the temple much easier than the park and he could check in on the 'old master' anytime, plus visit Yukina and Puu.

Little did he know that after the move, his 'mode of existence' was about to change.

End chapter 1

_**Seikatsu** –_ meaning- **'Life'** but more specifically, it means the **'mode of existence'** in which you live it at the time.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: First Day**

The remaining weeks went fast, for there was a lot to get done, mostly the moving. Not only did Kurama have to help his okasan move, but he had to get his stuff packed and taken to his new place. By the end of the first week, everyone was settled in their new places.

After saying goodnight to his okasan, Kurama closed the door of his new apartment. It had been a long day and he was ready to take a shower and relax. Taking in the view of the first floor, he realized it was small, but it would do. Shori had decided to get new furniture for the new home, so he took the 'old', which consisted of a couch, loveseat, and coffee table with two end tables. He'd purchased a small two chair dinette set for the small breakfast nook off the galley kitchen. His okasan had wanted to give him her dinette set, but it was way too big, consisting of six chairs and an extra leaf. He wondered if his okasan had wanted him to take it so she could get a new one, along with the new living room suit. Making his way upstairs to the only full bathroom, there was a 'powder room' downstairs, he went to take a long awaited shower. Getting it as hot as possible and still wishing he could have made it hotter, he stayed until there was no more hot water before finally turning it off and stepping into the only bedroom. He had brought his bedroom furniture with him, which was a double bed, a night stand, a small bookcase and his desk. The room still looked empty even with all that, for the room took up the whole upstairs, outside the fact of the decent size bathroom and the small landing from the stairs.

Pulling underwear on, the red head laid down on the bed in exhaustion. After helping with the last of the moving, along with his okasan staying and helping him finish unpacking, he couldn't get his mind to stop racing. Glancing at the bedside clock, 9:45pm, he realized it was not too late, yet he was starting his new job in the morning and wanted to be rested. His step-father had promoted a guy named Rick to oversee his 'training' into the company. It was so he could take over the branch here, then in a few years move on to open a new location and train his step-brother to take over for him here. He liked the idea of having a ningen job, for it was his first step into living a 'normal' ningen life. He just hoped Koenma didn't need him for awhile. He didn't want to have to come up with an excuse on his first day as to why he couldn't come to work.

He must have fallen asleep because he woke up to the sun peeking in through the curtains across the bed. A few minutes until seven am, well he didn't need to be at work till nine and it was only a 15 minute drive, but he still got up and showered (again), dressed in a nice suit and headed downstairs for breakfast. While eating a bowl of cereal he checked his cell phone, he had decided not to get a phone in his apartment and just use his cell phone as his main form of communication. There were several messages, one from his step-father wishing him good luck on his first day, another one from Rick saying he looked forward to meeting and working with him and the last one was from Yusuke. It dawned on him that he hadn't seen Yusuke or Kuwabara, or anyone for that matter, since that day on the beach when Yusuke came back and they had talked to Genkai about her property and what she wanted done upon her death.

Not recognizing the number that was left, but thinking it would be nice to hear a familiar voice, he dialed. After about six rings, he was about to hang up, when the sleepy voice of the tantei answered. "Hello, this better be good."

"Yusuke, still sleeping in I see." Kurama said, noting the clock on the kitchen wall.

"Fox boy, is that you?" Yusuke asked in a chipper voice when he realized who it was. Both he and Hiei used the nickname 'fox' after finding out he was the legendary yoko spirit. "Its 8:15 Kurama, I don't call that sleeping in." The raven haired continued. "Hey, how have you been? I didn't get a chance to talk to you much at the beach. You seemed down and I would have called you earlier but Keiko has been very possessive this month, I haven't even seen Kuwabara." He explained.

Kurama tried to sound chipper. "I am doing well Yusuke. At the beach I was just thinking about how everything had worked out and the dealings with Yomi and all." He then changed the subject. "I'm starting my new job today." He informed, taking another quick look at the clock.

"New job? What made you want to get a job? Doesn't working for Koenma count?" The raven haired joked, getting into a teasing mood.

"Yusuke." Kurama lightly chuckled. "We will not be tanteis forever and if I plan on staying in Ningenkai, I will need a way of supporting myself." He said, but on the inside he was wondering if Yusuke would ever think about the future and how he was going to support Keiko. 'He would probably let her have a job, while he stayed home and took care of the kids.'

Yusuke laughed, saying. "Well you know me. I don't think that far ahead. I'll cross that bridge when I get there." He then whispered. "Let's get together this evening. I'm sure I can get away for a few hours." It also sounded like he was covering the phone, obviously not wanting Keiko to hear.

"We can meet at Genkai's. I have a few things to tell you." Kurama suggested with a soft smile while taking one last look at the clock. "I have to go. I don't want to be late on my first day."

"Good luck fox boy." With that, the phone went dead.

His first day went well. It was mostly a 'get to know everyone' and a 'tour of the office.' He met the lady that would be his secretary on the side until he was ready to hire his own and then was shown a small corner office. That was the day in a nutshell and he actually got to leave at four. Making his way into his apartment, he decided to change and head right over to see Genkai.

Even though the apartment was close to the temple, it was still a two block walk to a side entrance, then a few blocks to the main stairs and then the hundred stair climb to the main building. It still beat meeting in the park which was at least 4 miles away and this way he could walk and not worry about parking. As he made his way to the top of the stairs, he heard a commotion. Walking through the main room to the center garden outback, he had to hold back a laugh at the sight playing out before him. Genkai was soaked from head to toe with soap and water from Puu, who was flapping his wings and body, shaking off water (kind of like a dog). "Stupid bird, if you were not a part of my moron student, I would have had fried bird by now." The old master grumbled. Puu knew she didn't mean it as he stopped shaking and nested his head into a towel she was now holding. She started rubbing his mane gently, giving whispered reassurances as he made cooing 'puu' sounds. "Don't just stand there…you could help this old lady." She said as a way of acknowledgement.

The red head never questioned how she knew he was there, for he had the same 'talent' at sensing auras. Seeing a stack of towels on a nearby bench, he grabbed one and started drying a wing that was being held out so he could get underneath it.

"I can't leave him too wet or he'll just leave water puddles everywhere and he doesn't like staying outside until he dries. So what do I owe the visit?" She asked, not stopping in her drying and moving on to the other wing.

"I guess you can say I'm coming to introduce myself as a new neighbor." Kurama said as he went to get another dry towel.

"Really…the only place I can think of is the South End Apartments and what would have made you move there?" She questioned.

Over finishing drying Puu and getting him in a room with a fire to keep him warm, Kurama explained what had happened over the past month and then told her about Yusuke meeting him there.

"I haven't seen him in a month either." Genkai stated as Yukina came walking into the room, showing a big smile when she saw Kurama.

"Kurama it is so good to see you….how have you been?" She asked as Kurama got up off the floor to give her a hug.

"I am fine Yukina and how are you doing?" He asked as they both sat down at the small round table in the room.

"I'm doing well, it is a lot of work to keep this place together and with taking care of Puu, I stay busy, but I enjoy the company very much." The ice maiden said, giving a giggled smile towards Genkai.

"Ha." Was the reply.

Kurama knew Genkai enjoyed having Yukina with her. Now that she was getting old she needed more help than she would admit and saying that the ice maiden could stay with her was a way of saying she would like the help, without saying it out loud.

Yusuke came in the room, hearing the sound of soft laughter. "Did I miss a joke?" He asked as he made his way over to sit at the table.

"Dimwit, you are the joke." Genkai said, looking at her student and taking in the fact that he was still wearing his hair down and not up with the help of gel.

"Ha ha….funny grandma." Yusuke muttered. Turning to Kurama, he grabbed his arm to pull him into a shoulder hug. "And you're looking good fox boy?"

"You look good too." Kurama said, returning the pat on the back while also taking in the raven haired's 'new look'.

Yusuke quirked. "If you're talking about the hair, Keiko likes it like this. I really think she would like me to wear it long like when the Mazaku showing, but I don't think I can take it that long." While he talked, he had been pulling on his hair at different places, seeing how long it was getting.

"I will go and make some tea." Yukina said bowing and excusing herself.

"Hey, I got a chance to call Kuwabara and he should be on his way." Yusuke said, catching the ice maiden before she left the room.

"Oh it would be nice to see Kazuma again." She said, closing the door.

"I have no idea what she sees in him." Yusuke muttered.

"Maybe it's the same thing Keiko sees in you." Kurama said, receiving a 'ha' from Genkai and a punch on the arm from Yusuke. They made small talk until a voice was heard coming up the stairs.

"Yukina…Yukina…where art thou Yukina." Kuwabara yelled making his way into the room a few minutes later.

"And you call me a moron." Yusuke replied, giving a look to Genkai.

"No, you're the dimwit." She answered

"Hey guys…long time no see." The tall orange haired boy said, making his way over to the others. He gave each a hug as they stood up and even the master gave him one.

"Hey, I didn't get a hug from you grandma. What makes him so special?" Yusuke said with hurt in his voice.

"I was soaking wet earlier from giving your bird a bath. Now that I think about it, I should have hugged you and got you wet." She replied giving a hug before sitting back down.

The boy sighed. "Yeah I guess I need to thank you for taking care of him. Keiko would love to have him, but he won't fit in the apartment. If I knew how to get him small again we could keep him as a pet." Yusuke said.

Yukina made her way in carrying a tray loaded with tea and cups. "If I can get some help please there are two more trays with food. I'm sorry it took me so long, I just assumed you all could stay for dinner." She said, placing the tray on the table.

"I'll help."

"Thank you Kazuma and it's nice to see everyone back." She said smiling and the two made their way out to get the trays.

Dinner consisted of small talk and before long it was getting dark. Kurama had told the others his story about his job and moving, in turn he found out that Yusuke had been spending his month with Keiko, literally with her 24/7. They got an apartment together and were in the process of starting their own restaurant. Kuwabara in the mean time, upon graduating from high school, was getting ready to start night classes at a local college.

"I thought it would be easier to go at night so then I can still help you guys with the demon slicing and dicing." Kuwabara finished, acting like he was using his spirit sword.

The red head didn't mention that he'd talked to Koenma about wanting to quit the team. Though he assumed he would have to tell them sooner or later.

"Speaking of which, has anyone heard from the shrimp? I can't believe he didn't come back and at least say good bye to us." Kuwabara said looking to Yusuke and then Kurama for his answer. He was assuming they would have been the last two to see him before they returned from the Makai.

"I haven't, I guess he doesn't like goodbyes." Yusuke said softly.

"I have." Kurama said and sat his tea mug down before looking to Kuwabara.

"You did!?" Came out in stereo.

"Yes." Kurama said closing his eyes and thinking back to the last time he had seen the fire demon. He opened them and look to Yusuke. "It was after I left you, so you could pay your respects to Raizen. He asked me to take care of a few things and told me to tell everyone here that he was asked to stay and become Mukuro's heir."

"I miss Hiei." Yukina said. "He was going to look for my brother for me. I guess he didn't find him."

"I'm sure he's still looking Yukina. I don't think Hiei would be that mean and not keep his promise." Kuwabara said, taking Yukina's hand in his.

Kurama and Yusuke were sweat dropping. Yusuke finally broke and while nervously scratching the back of his neck, said. "Yeah, I'm sure he'll find him. Maybe that's why he's staying as Mukuro's heir, to keep up the search."

Kurama looked at his watch. "I should get going. Some of us do have work tomorrow." He said.

"I'll walk you out." Yusuke said, giving goodnights to everyone, including giving Puu a pat on the head and telling him to be good for the old lady. He also told his spirit-beast he would be around more often to see him. Kuwabara stayed to help with the dishes, he did anything to get to stay with Yukina awhile longer.

Kurama talked to Yusuke for a few more minutes outside at the base of the stairs. They made promises of getting together sooner and both wondered if Koenma was going to need them anytime soon now that their said 'vacation' was over.

The red head let himself into his place around eleven, wanting nothing more than to get to bed. He laid there thinking about Hiei for the first time in a month. He missed him, that was all there was to it. Looking over to the window, he realized that he hadn't even unlocked it or left it open like he did in his old bedroom. It was always his way of saying 'welcome' to leave the window opened, or at least unlocked if it was raining, so the fire demon could come in at anytime and make himself at home. There would be no reason to do that here. Hiei would not know that he had moved and most of all he would never be coming back to the Ningenkai, now that he had a reason to stay in the Makai.

'Why do I care if he never comes back, we were friends, nothing more. Even though I had thought about it many times, he would not want me, especially after what Yomi did. That's why I told him I was not interested in him in that way, making it a joke, to tell myself right then and there that it was never going to happen.' He remembered the look of confusion and what he thought was sadness in those crimson eyes, though Hiei had tried acting mad. 'Could Hiei have wanted something more than a friendship with me?' He fell asleep thinking about the answers, making his sleep restless.

End Chapter 2


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Back in Action, Maybe**

By the end of the week, Botan had called to tell him to meet in Koenma's office. Kurama had had a good first week at his job, but now he needed to think of an excuse to leave early on Friday so he could see what the demi-god wanted. When he asked Rick about leaving early, he didn't even have to give a reason. Rick just assumed that Kurama wanted to get a head start home to see his family. Now the red head had a bigger problem, what to tell his okasan. He decided to wait and see Koenma before calling to say he would be late or not be coming to visit after all. Sure enough there were two demons trying to wreck havoc and eat ningens.

Yusuke, Kuwabara and Kurama stepped out of a portal, right into a war zone. They were in a low populated area, but there were still ningens dead everywhere and total destruction of property.

"Let's do this." Yusuke said, taking off after seeing one of the demons.

"Right." Kuwabara followed, calling his spirit sword.

This left Kurama dealing with the second demon, which had seen the three coming out of the portal and who was now behind him. The fox sensed the demon and turned to see a big seven foot something coming right at him. Reaching into his hair, he waited until the demon was in range before calling his 'rose whip'. He slashed the demon many times and thought it was over only to realize the demon was still coming at him. It ended up knocking him on his backside. The red head rolled, coming up in a crouched position to try and see why the demon was not dead. Quickly realizing the demon was wearing some sort of armor and on closer examination realizing it was a thick skinned creature, thus the whip lashes had only scratched the surface of the skin. He started going on the defensive when the demon attacked, trying to think of its weaknesses and a way to kill it.

'I really wished Hiei were here. He would be wearing this thing down and I could then think of something to do to kill it.' He thought, knowing Hiei's katana would have had the same affect as his whip on the skin. All he ended up doing was staying one step ahead in the thinking of how not to get himself killed. He tried to tie the demon up with branches and grass, but the demon just kept pulling out of the hold. He wondered what the chances were of getting a death seed in one of the open cuts. 'That would require me to get close.' He surmised and decided it was the only way. Standing still, in hopes the demon would throw a punch so he could grab its arm and put the seed in a cut, he wasn't so lucky.

Unfortunately what ended up happening was the demon got a hold of Kurama by the throat. The red head lost focus for a second at the realization that he was having trouble breathing and was now two feet off the ground. Managing to calm himself, he found his focus and threw the seed down the demon's opened mouth, quickly followed by a hit to the chin with an open palm to close the mouth. This caused the demon to drop the red head and start choking. Kurama landed hard on his feet before landing hard on his knees. Not taking any chances, he immediately rolled away, coming up in a crouch position a few feet away from the still coughing demon. By the time the red head got his breathing under control, so had the demon. "You'll pay for that." It yelled, heading right to him.

"I don't think so." Kurama hissed.

The demon's eyes went wide as the cuts all over his body started spouting flowers. He fell forward, dead before he even hit the ground.

Standing up, Kurama started brushing himself off, noting many bruises, but they would heal quickly. What he really noticed was the pain in his neck when he turned his head to find the others. When he found them, he saw Yusuke hit the other demon with a spirit blast causing it to stumble and then Kuwabara slicing it in two. He made his way over as the two where giving each other high fives.

"Damn Kuwabara if I didn't know better I'd say you've gotten better." Yusuke praised, slapping the big guy on the back.

"I've been training with Genkai, not doing as much as you did, but just enough to stay on top of things." The orange haired boasted, slapping Yusuke right back.

"I have to admit Kuwabara that was impressive." Kurama's voice came out horse, causing him to cough.

"Oh shit Kurama are you okay…sorry about that, I guess we're just use to Hiei being with you. We will definitely have to change that." Yusuke said with concern, walking up to the third member. He took a hand to lift the red head's chin to get a look at the bruising that had started to show. "We need to remember to watch out for you." He added.

"What do you mean by that?" Kurama growled. Even though his voice was harsh, he was able to raise it. "I'm 'fine' Yusuke, I was doing fine before Hiei and I will do fine without!" Because his throat hurt he made himself calm down and say more neutral. "I did take care of Yomi by myself. Now that this is over, I need to go, my okasan is expecting me to come and visit. If I leave now I can make it without an excuse." The red head then turned without another word, leaving the other two wondering what the comment about Yomi meant and what did they do wrong.

This had been their first mission together as a team since returning from the Makai. Kurama knew he shouldn't let this one time bother him, but for some reason it made him realize he was now a third wheel. Having Hiei there meant that they could tag team off each other in taking down an opponent and now Yusuke was acting all of a sudden like he was a weak link that needed extra protection. He had to admit to himself that he got distracted and wished the fire demon had been there, but he would not let it happen again. Hiei was not coming back. Kurama would have to learn to fight solo again. It was not so much as fighting solo per say as just realizing that backup was not going to be there like it was. He trusted the others, don't get him wrong, but Hiei was always right there to take over if he was down.

He got on the road for the several hours trip ahead of him, giving him just enough time to heal his bruises and if needed come with an excuse to why his throat was sore.

a)a)a)a

The next several months only got worse as Kurama's work got busier and the demons just kept coming into the Ningenkai. There was at least one mission a week and he was running out of excuses at work. Not only that, but now he had to take night classes so he could get the knowledge needed for work. The excuses to his okasan were getting harder too, he was lucky if he could make it home one weekend a month and get to stay the whole weekend at that. He was using his weekends to make up work and do homework for class. Not to mention the demon fighting that might be happening at the time. That is if he did get to fight, it seems since the first fight when Yusuke said he needed to be 'looked out for' really meant 'being shoved out of the way'. The biggest thing on his mind though was Hiei and every time he went into battle, no matter how hard he tried, he could not stop thinking about the black haired.

The red head needed the fire demon now more than ever. He had always been there to talk to. Yusuke would try to be there, but he had Keiko and they were dealing with the 'now open' restaurant. Kuwabara had his own classes and when he wasn't fighting with them and doing homework, he was seeing Yukina.

Kurama decided to put his foot down and do what he thought after his first talk with Koenma about quitting. He stopped going to the 'meetings' and was having Botan give him the information as to where he needed to go. Sometimes he would make it on time for the fighting and sometimes he would make it after it was all over with. The more he made it late to a fight the more he realized that he was a third wheel and that Kuwabara was now more than capable of helping Yusuke. In his mind he was no longer needed.

One evening after getting home from work, Kurama found a note on his door from Genkai. It stated that he was to come over and help her with Puu's once a month bath. He thought about not going, needing to finish some work, but thought 'why not' he needed a break and going to see the 'old master' was a treat, not to mention he did like Puu. Changing into a pair of old blue jeans and a t-shirt, that he could get wet, he made his way over.

When he reached the main door at the top of the stairs, he felt several presences, but didn't know whose they were because they were masking themselves. Walking in, he saw Koenma, in his teenage form, sitting in the middle of the floor with his arms crossed and sucking very hard on the pacifier in annoyance. The red head was just about to turn around, to see who he sensed behind him, when the door slammed closed. Genkai and Botan were standing there blocking the door. "I'm sorry Kurama, I don't have a say in this." Genkai said, folding her arms and looking off across the room. Botan didn't say anything, but her eyes said that she too was sorry.

"Well, that was a sneaky way of getting me here." Kurama said walking over and sitting down cross legged in front of the Lord, placing his hand on his knees.

Koenma leaned forward, saying. "Before you go off half cocked, she had nothing to do with this. It was my order…understood?" He made it a point to look right at Kurama when he said it.

"Yes." Turning to look at Genkai, Kurama stated. "We can give Puu a bath after this little chat, I won't be long."

Genkai gave a smirked. 'The poor boy's asking for it.' She thought.

Koenma sighed. "Look Kurama…I'm not going to apologize for this. You were not coming to my office anymore and not answering my calls. I want to know what's been going on and believe it or not, I want to help. You're a good employee and despite what you may have heard, I do have a heart." The Lord dropped his arms to his lap, trying to show contentment.

"First off." Kurama started. "I am not an employee. I am not on probation anymore, so I do not see where you get that from. And second, when did your heart care for anything outside of what you have wanted?" He had managed complete control over his voice, for he was not going to fall for the Lord's sappiness.

"Okay." Koenma said, leaning back. "Let's try this again. I told you that I needed your help with the transition period of the new rules set by King Enki. I assumed you would fulfill that commitment." He held up is hand to stop the red head who was about to speak. "I'm not done yet. I told you your probation was over after the Dark Tournament since you helped in that mess, but it really wasn't over by any means. You had no choice but to participate in the Tournament because of Toguro's request that you be there or everyone dies. And I know you helped with the Sensui case, but again, you had no choice, the earth as we know it was coming to an end. I'll get to the point, because of the stunt you pulled going to assist Yomi, you are back on probation."

Kurama couldn't control his anger. Everything he has done over the years after stealing the sacred artifacts with Hiei has been for Koenma. Has he not paid enough for that crime? Koenma was being a cold hearted bastard now, coming up with an excuse as lame as Yomi to get him to do his bidding.

The Lord continued, saying softly. "It will only be for a few years Kurama, I told you that. Then the system will work out and anyone who breaks the new rules will be handled by the new squad that's being trained right now. Besides, you have worked around your personal life before…you can hang on a little longer."

Kurama's voice turned cold as he said. "I can not believe you would step so low to get me to keep helping you." He thought he had learned to control Youko better since the spirit yoko's last appearance, but he lost it. It was Youko's cold voice that finished the statement. "I guess you are going to go and drag Hiei back so you can put him on probation as well?"

Koenma was not going to let the yoko intimidate him. Ignoring the sweat forming on his brow when he saw the gold in the eyes, he managed to say calmly. "If I thought I could find him and bring him back…then yes, I guess I would. Now I want you in my office the next time there's a case…is that understood?" He crossed his arms to make his stand that this was the end of the discussion and that nothing Kurama could say would change the decision he had made.

Though Youko had gone dormant, Kurama's voice still had an edge. "Understood…but I assure you, you are not going to like me when this is over. When this is all said and done, I never want to see or hear from you again." He said getting up and walking to the door. Genkai just stepped to the side, but Botan tried to stop him by grabbing his hand when he went to open the door. Seeing tears in the corner of her eyes, he gave a nod to her before opening the door and walking out.

The move caused her to pull her hand back quickly and just watch as the red head jogged down the stairs out of site. Tears started flowing as she turned to stare at her boss.

"You didn't need to be so mean Koenma." She said with her voice cracking.

Koenma sighed. Closing his eyes and rubbing the bridge of his nose, he said. "We need him Botan, Yusuke needs him. It was the only way I could think of. There's something wrong here and I hope we, or better yet he, can work it out."

End Chapter 3


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: The Melt Down**

Kurama had a long night. First he got some last minute work done that needed to be presented in the morning. When that was done, he sat on the couch and thought about how his life had changed and his decisions over the past few months.

Living with his okasan and going to school had been easy, he thought. His okasan never questioned him about going or being out late, or what he was doing on the weekends. She just assumed it was for school. She never called the school to see if he was there when he had to miss classes because of a case. The school never called her because they knew she had been deathly ill at one time and assumed that he was staying home to take care of her, thinking she still might be sick. His teachers never had a problem because he always turned in his work within a record amount of time and was always ready to take tests, even if he didn't know about them.

Now though was a different matter, he had more obligations and less excuses. His step-father was expecting him to take over the office in town. That meant a lot of training, which he was getting from Rick. He was expected to be in the office nine to five, five days a week. Trying to come up with excuses as to why he was late or why he needed to leave early or better yet, why he couldn't come in at all, was getting harder and harder. He had already had several meetings with Rick and a few with his step-father about it. All he could say was sorry and that he would try and do better. And now Koenma wasn't going to let up either.

'Damn him.' He thought, 'I will get out of this somehow. I wonder what Hiei would do.' Now he did it, opening that can of worms again, Hiei, gods how he missed him and wished he were here now to listen to his problems. The first thing he would probably hear is 'Why did you want to stay with these stupid ningens?' Then he would be asked why he wanted to work when he could go back to the Makai and get all his stashed money. He laughed at the conversation he was having in his head with the fire demon. 'I'm losing it.' He thought as he got up to go to bed.

He awoke to a loud pounding, after seeing that it was five in the morning. He threw on his robe as he ran downstairs to answer the pounding that was coming from his front door.

"Come on Kurama, I know you're in there, open up." Yusuke yelled, just then the door opened and he was caught off guard, his fist still in the air getting ready to pound again. He blinked, taking in the sight of Kurama in his robe and his hair in disarray.

"Were you not up?" Yusuke asked as Kurama stepped aside to let the raven haired boy in.

Green eyes took one quick look outside to make sure no one was looking and that the peace had not been disturbed by the loud knocking before closing the door. "Yusuke, I don't need to be at work till nine and what are you doing up so early?" He said, closing the door.

"I wanted to talk to you before you went to work. You are hard to get a hold of so I thought the only way was to get you in the morning." Yusuke said, looking around the apartment and taking in the fact that it was also in disarray. This could not be where the fox lived. There were pizza boxes and Chinese takeout on the coffee table, empty bottles of various liquids, including beer, all over the place and stacks of stuff from papers to clothes everywhere else. "Are you sure this isn't my place?"

"If I knew I was going to have company, I would have cleaned up." Kurama said as he went to move stuff off the loveseat, motioning Yusuke to sit. He then cleared an area on the couch and also sat down.

"I can ask Keiko to clean for yeah….she didn't mind doing it for me. I'm sure she wouldn't mind doing it for you." Yusuke said. He had never known Kurama to be this messy, thinking he was the only one to do this. This was not the fox boy he used to know.

Kurama tried not to huff. "Thank you…but I can take care of it myself. Now what is it you wanted to see me about?" He asked placing his fingers on the bridge of his nose and squeezing his eyes shut while he used his other hand to rub his temples. He was also starting to take big breaths.

The action didn't go unnoticed by the detective. Thinking maybe the red head had not been getting a lot of sleep and feeling a little guilty for waking him so early, he said. "I just wanted to talk, we haven't done so in awhile and we never seem to have time."

The red head watched as Yusuke scratched his head and seem to be thinking. "Did Koenma send you?" He had to know.

"No…no." Yusuke quickly stammered, holding up his hand in a defensive manner. Seeing the look on the red head's face, he broke. "Okay, I can't do this, not to you. Botan sent me, she told me some of what's been going on with you and Koenma okay and for that matter, me and Kuwabara have been worried too. You don't come on missions anymore and we miss that. Not to mention we never see you at grandmas and she's right next door." He admitted.

Kurama gave a firm nod, saying. "I thank you for your concern Yusuke, but I am doing well. I see Genkai when I can and as far as missions go, I do not think you need me anymore. Kuwabara has more than improved to help you. I only want what is best for me right now and if that means quitting and hurting a few feelings so I can live a normal life, then so be it."

Yusuke could understand. "Well, I heard what diaper boy did to get you to stay on. I don't approve and will tell him so myself. Are you sure there's not another reason for you quitting and don't give me that crap about being a third wheel or anything."

The red head shook his head. "There is nothing else wrong…I just wish to concentrate on work, my classes and get on with the life I decided to live."

Yusuke wasn't convinced. "You miss him don't you?" He had to get to what he thought was the real reason for Kurama's behavior. 'I'm stepping onto a dangerous topic here and may not leave this place alive but I got to know.'

"Miss who?" Kurama asked, trying to control his reaction even though he knew the 'who' Yusuke was referring to and he tried to put on an innocent face.

The raven haired didn't fall for that either. "Knock it off fox boy. I know you know 'who' I'm talking about. I certain four foot something fire demon, always wears a black cloak, has black hair that stands up in a spike with a white star on the front and known most of all for his temper 'and' the fact that he wants to kill Kuwabara for dating his sister. Oh yeah and goes by the name Hiei and/or runt, shrimp…." He was acting like a smart ass, trying to get the red head mad so he might open up.

Kurama was not going to fall for the detective's ploy and said calmly. "Like I said before, I did fine before Hiei and I'm doing fine without him."

"That's not what I asked." Yusuke growled.

Kurama sighed. "If it will get you to drop the subject, then…'yes'…I do miss him."

"I'm not going to drop the subject Kurama. I can see why you might miss him. I've been thinking about it. He was your best friend, someone like you that you could talk to. You told me once about how you two met. You've known each other since you were…what…nine…ten. You had a connection that even me and the idiot don't have. You knew what each other were thinking without even saying anything, he would only open up to you, not to mention you two were a kick ass fighting duo." Yusuke said.

Kurama listen to him rattle on and realized that everything he said was true. He fell back into the couch and let the all the emotions he had been hiding for months come forth. The headaches from losing the mental contact and the loneliness he felt not having the only demon he considered a friend besides Kuronue. Tears that were forming in the corner of his eyes started to fall and he silently cursed himself for losing it in front of Yusuke.

Seeing the tears, Yusuke got up and sat down beside the red head, saying. "Hey…are you alright…I didn't mean to upset you." He was shocked when the red head leaned into him and started crying harder. Placing his hands around the lean figure, he pulled him into a tight embrace letting the tears soak his shirt while rubbing small circles on his back and whispering. "You had something special with him and he threw it all away to stay and become Mukuro's heir." They sat that way in silence for awhile, until Kurama stopped crying. "I think Hiei is a jerk." He didn't realize he had said it out loud until the red head looked up.

"No Yusuke." Kurama said with a shake of his head as he pulled out of the embrace and wiped his eyes. "He hated it here. There is nothing here to keep him. If you think he would stay for Yukina, you are mistaken. He never wants her to know he is her brother. It was hard for him to except the fact that she was staying, but he knows Genkai and Kuwabara, even though he does not approve of their relationship, will take care of her."

"Not even you?" Yusuke asked in confusion.

Green eyes blinked at him. "Why would he stay here for me?" Kurama questioned back, a little confused at the remark.

"You two had a close relationship, what happened to make him want to give that up." Yusuke wondered.

"We were friends…nothing more." Kurama said needing to make sure Yusuke believed that. He didn't want the raven haired to know his true feelings towards the fire demon and also didn't want him to jump to conclusion that they may have been closer than friends. 'Since it will never happen.'

Yusuke wanted to believe that, but he had always thought the two had been closer. 'Well, I got this far, I might as well dig in deeper.' "Since we're on the subject of spilling things, I went to the Makai to deal with Raizen…Hiei…well I still don't understand that, but since I'm here, I'll ask. Why did you help Yomi?"

Kurama was now the one shocked. His was from the change of subjects. He finally said. "I was only doing so, so I could help get inside information to keep a war from starting. I admit I had known him for a long time prier to him being a Lord and that I owed him something, but that did not interfere with my objective in making sure he would not become the King. With you on Raizen's side and Hiei on Mukuro's, I thought it only wise to be on Yomi's."

Yusuke watched as the red head's face went void of expression. He seemed to be thinking of something, but then shook his head and look towards him with a small smile.

"Something happen?" Yusuke asked before he realized that was a stupid question.

The red head shook his head. "No…nothing, I was just remembering the years with him and how he tried to use me by threatening my family and friends. Thanks to you and your idea of a tournament, I was able to break his hold." He said. No one would ever know about that night, the night that changed his thoughts about having a relationship with Hiei.

Kurama then seemed to realize that he was still very close to Yusuke and got up. It wasn't long before he was pacing.

Yusuke watched the fox, wondering what he was thinking about now, but asking. "Are you sure you're alright, you're not going to do something stupid are you?"

Kurama paused and turned to look at him, saying. "Why Yusuke, what would give you that idea?" He gave the raven haired a mischievous look before adding. "No, I will not do anything stupid." He then presented an innocent smile to his friend, knowing Yusuke cared and wished he could help, though he knew there was nothing the tantei could do.

Yusuke gave a nod and got up, saying. "Well I'll get out of here so you can get ready for work. Don't worry about Koenma, I'll talk to him and get him to let you go." He paused seeming to be trying to think of what to say next. "And…'Rama…I'm glad you told me some of what's been bothering you…I know I'm not Hiei, but…well, I'm here if you need me…you know that…right?" He paused at the door. "I'll see myself out. Again if you need a shoulder or anything else and I mean 'anything' just, give a call…got it?" He added making sure the red head heard him.

Kurama closed his eyes and gave a nod. Opening them, he said. "Thank you Yusuke and I will." He stood there and watched the young man leave, closing the door behind him.

Feeling emotionally drained and knowing he looked the part, with not having much sleep and the puffy eyes from crying. Kurama went to go to work and dropped of the paperwork he'd finished the night before then left, letting his looks be his excuse as to why he needed to go home.

End Chapter 4


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Now What? Act 1**

Whether Yusuke talked to Koenma or not, Kurama didn't know. He still had to go on missions. At least over the next several months it was down to only two or three times a month. Koenma had informed them that the new laws and rules were going into affect everyday and that the crossing over of demons wanting to do harm were being monitor better.

That was all well and good on that end, but work for the red head was getting worse by the day. The more responsibilities he was getting, the harder it was to come up with an excuse to go on a mission. He was now expected to go on short business trip to promote the company and was also giving seminars at night, on nights opposite of when he was taking a class. His step-father said he should be ready within the year to take over the business full time. He knew how many hours Rick was putting in each day and was glad he was not married. Rick's wife was always complaining about her husband never being home and being married to the company. The red head had to admit the work kept his mind off Hiei but only when he was at work. When he was alone or on a difficult mission, he thought about the fire demon constantly. He felt constantly alone and was drowning himself in misery. He didn't see Yusuke much, outside of missions of course.

Yusuke's restaurant was doing quite well, he himself has only made it a few times to eat there and that was taking someone with him for lunch. Keiko was getting mad at Yusuke enough as it was with the way he was always running off and leaving her with the work. He had never been close to Kuwabara, yes they had talked personally many times, but now the big guy was busy with studies and of course Yukina. Then there was Genkai who he hadn't seen in awhile because he was always getting home late and just wanted to go to bed. His weekends were filled with getting upcoming paperwork ready for a trip or seminar and he usually worked on those while visiting his family. He talked a lot with his step-father, but it was work related. He had been asked several times though, if there was anything bothering him, which he always said 'no'.

It was just a typical morning and Kurama was sitting at his desk doing mounds of paperwork. Sometimes he had to laugh when he came into work because the desk would remind him of Koenma's, which was always piled high. He had been working for several hours, reclined back in his chair, away from the desk, holding a folder on his leg that was crossed at the knee. He was lost in thought, not even realizing he was rubbing his temple with his free hand, when he heard a knock on his office door. Looking up, he saw his new secretary standing at the always opened door and standing beside her with her hands held together in front was Botan.

"I'm sorry to disturb you Mr. Minamino, but this lady says it's important. I told her she needed to make an appointment, but she said that if you saw her you would want to see her." Becca informed, looking a little frighten at having to disturb her new boss. She wanted nothing more then to please this handsome young man.

"Thank you Becca, you did the right thing. I do need to see her." Kurama said calmly getting up and walking around his desk to the door. He saw Becca out and thanked her again before closing the door. He had several windows that looked out to the rest of the offices, but the vertical blinds were down, not closed, he left them that way.

"Hello Botan…I see that making it to the Reikai office and going on missions is not enough for the Great Lord Koenma…he has to disturb me at work now too." He said keeping his voice calm, but was very much getting it across that he did not like this unexpected visit.

"I'm sorry Kurama. I didn't want to come, but Koenma thought you would want to know this information as soon as possible. He didn't want to have to wait for you to come to the office or go on another mission without knowing. I have to agree after I found out, so here I am and….." Botan was getting in one of her rambling modes.

"Just tell me then." Kurama growled and went back to sit down at his desk. He thought about picking up where he'd left off on his work and letting her ramble on about what this so called 'important' information was so she could leave. But the first thing she said got him glued to every word she was saying.

"We have a problem with the two demons you apprehended the other day. Koenma was giving them a plea bargain in exchange for information about future invasions and they spilled their guts about something." She started then waited to see if the red head was listening, getting a nod to continue, she did. "They work for Yomi." This made green eyes go wider. "They said they were not here to cause any problems, but as you know they were seen by some ningens and Koenma felt they needed to be contained so he could find out what they wanted. To make this short…they were here to watch you."

"Watch me?" Kurama wondered aloud, why in the world would Yomi want to watch him?

Botan nodded. "They said something about making sure you're safe and that nothing happen to you because you were to return to Makai in the future. Koenma wanted to know if you knew about this and what it means." She said looking at him in hopes that he had an answer.

"Damn him, I said no." Kurama said under his breath and through clenched teeth.

"So you do know?" She gasped.

Kurama looked at her and gave a firm nod. "Yes, and you can tell Koenma I will take care of it myself." He said.

"Is it something I should inform him about and do you need the others?" She asked, hoping Koenma wasn't going to yell at her because she was not going to make Kurama come to the office immediately like he wanted.

The red head shook his head. "No on both, just tell Koenma that I will take care of it and that he needs to trust me…and not believe anything those two say." He informed.

"Okay Kurama, I trust you." Botan said and went to leave.

Kurama got up to see her out, but when he opened the door and said goodbye, he noticed all his co-workers staring and whispering. Ignoring them, he went back to work. Apparently the rumor mill was starting because he had only been working a few minutes when Rick stopped by the office. "She's pretty and I can see why you're hours are hectic." If my wife was that pretty, I'd want to be home all the time too." He smirked.

Kurama didn't know if Rick was teasing or not. He took it as not. "She is a friend, nothing more. And if you must know, she was giving me information about my class tonight." He said it cold and firm. It was the only excuse he could come up with, wondering why he even made one. They could believe what they want, for it was going to happen anyways.

Rick rolled his eyes. "Yeah right…I'll take a class with her any night." With that, he walked off. Kurama could see outside the office that his co-workers, who were within earshot of his door, were quietly laughing.

Getting up, he said. "Get back to work." And closed the door. After all, he was going to be their new boss soon, so he might as well get a head start in giving orders.

a)a)a)a

A few days later at work, Kurama was again sitting at his desk, when his secretary came in and said there was a message for him. 'He was to meet at the office after work'. Becca didn't know what these messages met even though she had received the same message many times since working for him. He never told her what the messages meant, just always said 'thank you' with a warm smile on his face.

Like the many messages before, after work, the red head found himself in Koenma's office being briefed on yet another mission. He was sitting in a chair to Yusuke's right, who had his chair rocking back on two legs and his hands behind his head. To Yusuke's left was Kuwabara, who in turn had his chair turned around straddling it. He sat that way every time he visited that the chair stays that way even when he's not in it. Yusuke had wondered if the cleaning crew got tired of turning it around and just decided to leave it.

Koenma, in is toddler form, sat behind his desk in front of the three tanteis shuffling paper and finally found the one he was looking for. "Yes here we go." He started, eyes scanning over the paper. "We have a dozy of a one this time. He's an 'A' class demon who just barged his way through a portal. It also says he has a mental problem and has been known for violence." He informed.

"Geez Kurama, you never told us demons could have mental problems…don't you all have anything like 'Prozac' there?" Yusuke huffed letting his chair and hands down as he turned to look at the red head.

"First of all Yusuke, 'Prozac' in given only to people with depression and second, we have been known to have mental illnesses just like ningens. I once knew a demon with multiple personalities." Kurama said.

"Really…what were they like…pretending to be different creatures or something?" Kuwabara asked.

"No, but it was quite strange….." Kurama began, but was interrupted by Koenma.

"I'm sure that it's an interesting story Kurama, but we need to get back to this mission." He waited for Kurama to turn his head towards him before continuing. "This demon goes by the name Mikai (1). He's not causing any big trouble yet but he has been seen on the east side scaring ningens and reeking havoc on the neighborhood by stealing and mugging, especially store owners, so he needs to be contained. Here's a picture." Koenma passed a photo to Yusuke. Kuwabara lend over to look before he handed to Kurama. "As you can see, he kind of looks like a ningen, except for the horns, he's been seen wearing a cap and is only out at night, he could blend in easily."

"I don't get it…how can a demon that has a mental problem be an 'A' class?" Yusuke asked, wondering if they were being told everything there was about this demon.

"We don't have anything else on him. He has never shown trouble in the Ningenkai before and the information we have is only recent and that is only because of the border patrol that tried to stop him." Koenma informed, giving an innocent look.

"Let's go see what's cookin' in the kitchen guys." Yusuke sighed, getting up to lead the other two to the doors when Koenma spoke up.

"Kurama…I hope you got that little problem taken care of and you're not even thinking about doing the other thing either, are you?"

The red haired had turned when his name was called and upon hearing the question he said coldly. "Why Koenma, if I did not know better, I would say you do not trust me."

"Just answer the question."

"Yes and No." Kurama said then walked out the door first, leaving the other two dumbfounded and then running to catch up.

End Chapter 5

(1) _Mikai_ – meaning - underdeveloped


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Can It Get Any Worse?**

Kurama led the other two out of the portal and started walking down the sidewalk. It was getting to be dusk which was a good time for them to be ready to capture Mikai, since he's only been seen at night.

As they were walking, Kuwabara asked. "Hey Kurama…what did Koenma mean by taking care of something and what you were not going to do?"

"It was nothing….it will not interfere with me being a tantei." Kurama answered, trying to keep is voice from turning cold. He failed though, he was mad at Koenma for not talking to him in private about his little problem with Yomi.

Ignoring the voice, Kuwabara scratched the back of his head and look to Yusuke, who was also giving a look of confusion. They shrugged, turning their heads back and then stopping, backing up a few steps to keep from running into the red head as they saw him standing in a defensive stance in the middle of the sidewalk. The raven haired was just about to ask what was up when Kuwabara mumbled.

"Oh man…there's something big coming this way." He was starting to shake from the strong sense of youki coming towards them.

Kurama spoke up. "Yusuke, listen, we may be able to handle this quickly and quietly. We need to get him to trust us and maybe he will come with us without fighting."

"Okay….we'll see." Yusuke replied back, already thinking Kurama's plan wasn't going to work.

As the demon came into focus, they relaxed their stance and watched, trying to get a better look. Mikai was big, at least seven feet tall with broad shoulders, arms and legs big with muscles. Checking him out top to bottom, they noticed he had on a ball cap that hid his face and horns. Going down to his shirt, all they could see were hands that were a dark pink (like he had had too much sun) and nails that were long yellow claws. He was wearing a pair of pants that were torn off at the knees, showing pink skin from there down to his feet. He was not wearing shoes and his toes bore the same yellow long claws. He could easily pass as a homeless person with bad hygiene.

"Looks like a cousin of the incredible hulk." Kuwabara muttered. The youki was getting stronger as the demon approached and it was taking everything he had not to summon his sword.

When Mikai got to within a few feet, he looked up and noticed the three figures blocking his path. Yusuke stepped around Kurama, saying. "Are you Mikai?"

"Who wants to know?" The voice was childish and his eyes held fear.

"My name is Yusuke Urameshi, I'm a tantei from Reikai and we're here to contain you for the havoc you have been causing here in Ningenkai."

"Me cause no problem, me just want friends to play with." The childish voice said as he started backing up, getting ready to run.

"I'm sorry, but by orders of Lord Koenma, we need to place you under arrest and contain, you're not supposed to be here." Yusuke said and reached out with his hand to try and grab the demon's arm, but Mikai pulled back and started to scream.

"Me don't want to be arrested, me like it here!" He cried out and was still trying to back up when he hit something. He turned and looked down to see an orange haired stranger blocking his way.

"No! Me no go!" Mikai cried out again as he went to swing at the person blocking his way. He was swinging when his target suddenly disappeared.

'So much for easy.' Kurama thought, slamming into Kuwabara and knocking him out of the way just as Mikai's hand was about to make contact with the side of the orange haired's head. The red head was not as fortunate as he felt claws rack across his side followed a burning sensation. The two landed in a heap as Yusuke tried to contain the demon, who was now swinging at the air, screaming.

"Hey…Hey calm down, we don't want to fight. We just want to help." Yusuke said calmly while holding his arms out in front of him, doing an up and down motion as he tried to get Mikai to look at him.

"No! No! No! You just want to hurt Mikai, you no friend of Mikai." The demon was crying now, still flaring both arms at random.

Kurama stood up holding his left arm to his bleeding side and held out his right arm to stop Kuwabara, who had also gotten up and had summoned his sword.

"No, we need to stop." The red head said. "He thinks we are going to hurt him and we need to get his trust. He is only attacking because he is scared." He then looked at Yusuke to see if he had heard what he'd said. When he got a nod in return, he reached into his hair and drew out a rose. "Mikai, Mikai look at what I got." When Mikai looked, Kurama twirled the rose, releasing the petals and the scent of roses filled the now dark air, only a few street lights lit the empty sidewalk.

"Pretty, me like flowers." Mikai cooed and calmed as he tried to catch the petals before they hit the ground. He looked like a giant child trying to catch bubbles as he danced and jumped.

"Now you need to go to sleep." Kurama said softly. Before anyone knew what had happened, Mikai slammed to the ground and was sound asleep. Yusuke and Kuwabara looked at the red head with a 'what the' look on their faces.

"How in the world did you do that fox boy?" Yusuke asked as he looked down at the now snoring demon.

"Yeah." Kuwabara said, looking back and forth between the demon and the red head.

"I placed a sleeping powder on the petals. When I released the petals the powder was also released and he inhaled it when he tried to catch them." Kurama said, his breath coming out heavy.

"Neat trick…are you alright?" Yusuke asked as he noticed the blood going down the red head's pant leg.

"I will be fine…his claws are sharp, but I will be able to heal the cuts." Kurama said and was already sending ki to the damaged areas, slowing the flow of blood.

A portal appeared and Botan stepped out. "Geez guys, that was quick. Koenma wanted me to help if I could, but." She looked down at the sleeping demon. "Oh, I'll call Koenma and let him know its over." She pulled out her communicator and told Koenma what had happened. "Tell them they are free to go home now Botan." Came the reply as she shut the compact.

"Well, that was a nice way of saying 'good job' that I ever heard." Yusuke snorted. The three stepped into the portal and came out in front of Genkai's temple, after making sure Botan had made it through another portal with the sleeping demon.

"Hey guys I hate to run, but I need to get home and study. I've got a big exam tomorrow evening and I haven't even cracked the book. Are you sure you're alright?" Kuwabara asked, looking to Kurama. "You could go and ask Genkai or Yukina to heal you." He said, looking over the red head with worry on his face. "I owe you man. That thing would have taken my head off if you hadn't pushed me out of the way."

"It was no big deal Kuwabara and no I do not need Genkai or Yukina to heal me. They are just scratches and are already starting to heal. Good luck on your exam. Good night." Kurama said giving a small smile to his friends.

"Okay…well see yeah later." The taller boy said.

As Kuwabara walked off, Yusuke looked at Kurama, who had also turned and started walking towards his place. "Hey wait." He said jogging to catch up. "You don't look to good, are you sure you don't want Genkai to check you out?"

Kurama shook his head, saying. "There is no need to worry. The wound just needs to be cleaned and I can do that when I take a shower. You should be getting home to Keiko. She will be worried about you." He was trying not to hiss as he made the walk to his apartment.

"Then call this a bad date. I want to see you home." Yusuke said keeping an eye on the fox and noticing the sweat that was forming on his forehead. Not to mention the pale look that was starting to wash over his lean figure. He didn't seem to care that he was being followed.

By the time they got to the apartment, Yusuke was all but carrying the red head in the door. He had taken the keys and unlocked the door after Kurama had failed several times to get the key in the lock.

The red head fumbled for the light switch, casting a glow over the living room. 'What the…' Yusuke thought as he saw the lighted space? Instead of the furniture he remembered from his first time visiting and knowing that it had belonged to the fox's mother, what he now saw was completely opposite. Instead of a couch and loveseat, which had been covered in a floral pattern, there was a dark brown swayed sectional taking up the center of the space. He also remembered seeing a glass coffee table with two matching end tables, those were gone and in their place was just a coffee table that looked to be an old traveling chest/trunk. Across the couch, where he didn't remember there being a TV before, now had a large plasma TV sitting on a stand with a DVD and stereo sitting underneath. When he got out of his shock at the new look, he noticed that Kurama had made it to the stairs and was trying to get up them, he was not doing a very good job as he was having a hard time lifting his legs.

"Kurama….I don't think you are doing so well." The raven haired said making his way over and placing his hands on the red head's arm hoping to offer help getting up the stairs.

"I don't need your help. I don't need anyone's help…especially Hiei's." Kurama growled and shrugged the offered helped as he continued to try and get up the stairs.

"Okay fox boy, lets get you to bed." Yusuke huffed. Knowing that Kurama was in no shape to put up a fight, he threw him over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. Getting to the top of the stairs, he saw two doors. One was the bathroom, for he could see through the open door. To his left was the other door and he opened it, walking into a large bedroom. Finding the light switch, he cast the room in a soft white glow. The bed was huge, it had to be a king size. It had a sled style head and foot board, made of a dark reddish wood, with wide side rails and was tall enough that it needed its own step stool to even get on the thing.

The bed was placed at an angle in the left corner of the room and there was a bedside table made of the same dark wood. Across the room to the right along the wall was a large mirrored dresser that took up the whole wall, expect for a door that led to the small walk in closet. Between the bed and dresser on the far wall were a set of windows that had heavy dark blue drapes pulled back leaving only the white shears showing to allow light in. It was now showing a shadow of a tree and the glow from some street lights.

Yusuke placed Kurama on the floor and went to get a towel. He knew the fox didn't like getting blood on his bed if he could help it. When Yusuke made it back with the towel, he saw that the red head was up trying to take off his clothes.

"Hey, let me help you." He said placing the towel on the bed before trying to help.

Kurama started fighting back, mumbling. "Stop…I am not a cripple. I have always taken care of myself Hiei."

'Hiei? Is he delusional?' Yusuke thought then noticed the fevered look on the pale face. He watched the man strip, standing by incase he was needed and noticed the wounds that Mikai had made.

Kurama's left side was cut with deep scratches, there were four in all. The shortest one was on the upper thigh, it was deep, but only about five inches long, going from front to back. The second one was longer and it was an inch above the first, just below the pelvic bone. The third was even longer and it was right across the pelvic bone and the fourth was the same, but it was just above the pelvic bone. All four were turning red and puffy and still oozing blood. He watched as Kurama staggered to the bathroom and waited until he heard water. He didn't want to leave the red head alone, but didn't want to start a fight. The fox needed help and 'now'. "Damn…I need to carry my communicator more often." He muttered, looking around for a phone before remembering that Kurama only used his cell phone. Still listening to the water from the shower, he started looking around for the cell phone. First he looked on the nightstand and all he saw there was the charger. He then looked in the pile of bloody clothes on the floor, nope no luck. Deciding that it must be downstairs, he ran down looking through the living room with no luck there either. As he walked into the kitchen, he saw a briefcase and a stack of papers sitting on the dinette table and sure enough, the cell phone was sitting right there. He opened it quickly and listened to make sure the water was still running and also hoping the red head hadn't drowned while he dialed. As the phone started ringing, he noted the clock on the wall, it was midnight and he hoped someone would be up. The phone rang a few times before an old haggard voice answered.

"This better be good."

"Genkai….Kurama needs your help." He blundered out, now panicking because he could no longer hear any water from upstairs.

"Yusuke is that you?" Genkai said, taken a little off guard. Her student never called her by her name.

"Yeah and Kurama was hurt tonight. He says he's okay, but he looks to be running a fever and he looks pale and…." Yusuke rambled and suddenly realizing he could take the phone with him, headed out of the kitchen.

"I'll be over in a few minutes, make sure the door's unlocked." She said.

The raven haired had just made it to the stairs and immediately turned to make sure the door was unlocked. Closing the phone, he went up the stairs two at a time. The bathroom door was opened and the remaining steam from the shower was coming out to the small landing. He turned, stepping into the bedroom to see Kurama laying on the floor faced down. Moving quickly, he picked the red head up and placed him on the bed, grabbing the blue sheets to cover the unconscious form. He felt his forehead and was right, the guy was burning up and the hot shower probably had not helped, that was the reason why he had collapsed. Pulling the sheet down, he was studying the wounds when Genkai showed up, carrying a small doctor's type bag.

"Start from the beginning." She said as she made her way over to inspect the wounds.

Yusuke started the tale. "He was attacked by a demon that had really long yellow claws. He seemed fine at first, but as we were walking here, he started to get sick." He stood back to allow Genkai closer to the patient.

She started healing the wounds so the only thing that showed was a pink puffy area of skin at the cut sites. When she was done, she looked over to Yusuke and said. "I healed his wounds, but we have a bigger problem that has to be dealt with. The claws were tipped with poison."

End Chapter 6


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Why Yes, Yes It Can**

"Poison!" Yusuke gasped, not believing what he was hearing. "Is he going to be okay…what can we do?"

"If he was full ningen, he would be dead by now, if he was full demon, he would have healed himself by now." Genkai said, reaching for her bag and rummaging around until she came out with a thermometer. Placing it in Kurama's mouth, she held it until it 'beep'.

"What are you talking about?" Yusuke asked, clearly confused and just wanting to know if his friend was going to be alright.

"Just what I said…the poison is strong and if he were a full ningen, he would have died within minutes of contact. If he were full demon, he would have been strong enough to have worked the poison out of his system. It looks like we are going to have to take care of his symptoms to help him get through this." Genkai informed. She was now looking at the temperature reading. "His fever is up to a 104, if it gets any higher he will be in trouble. His ningen half won't take the consequences."

"What do we do?" The raven haired asked, wanting to help.

"Get me some ice water in a bowl and washcloths…then find the alcohol and anything else you can think of."

"Got it." He said as he ran out of the room and you could hear various noises as he opened and closed cabinets and doors.

Genkai started looking at where the wounds had been. The skin was healed except for a pink area. Reaching in her bag again, she pulled out a bottle of green gel and placed it on the side table before reaching in again to pull out a coarse sponge. Yusuke came back in with the bowl of ice water and washcloths. He handed them to her then left again in search of the other items.

Placing a wet cloth on Kurama's forehead, the master watched as he shivered from the touch of cold. She then placed a wet cloth on the pink area where the wounds had been. This caused the red head to just about jump out of the bed from the sudden touch.

"What!" He hissed as he looked over to see Genkai standing beside his bed.

"Kurama, you've been poisoned. It's not serious as long as we treat your symptoms." She informed.

Kurama calmed back down, saying. "I told him I was fine…this is just like a bad case of the flu. I will be healed in a day or so. I have been poisoned before." He was trying to sound annoyed, but was not doing a very good job as he hissed in discomfort.

"While you were half ningen?" She asked. Showing a little smirk, thinking Yusuke was the dimwit.

"No." Kurama gasped, his voice taking on a little fear as he realized this was not going to be as easy to beat as he thought.

"You will be fine in a few days as long as we get you through the fever. Your demon self would get though it faster, can you change to Youko?" She asked.

Kurama concentrated and heard a voice in the back of his mind. _'You and your higher degree of discipline, I would have been able to start healing immediately if you would_ _have let me out.'_ The spirit yoko spat.

Kurama told his other half. _'Sorry, I didn't know his claws were poisoned.' _

'_Well, now it is too late, we are too weak. You are just going to have to deal with it.' _With that, Youko was gone.

The red head ended up saying aloud. "Well that is why he is an 'A' class."

"What…there was an 'A' class demon here in Ningenkai?" Genkai said a little shocked to hear that. She had thought by now after the new laws that an 'A' class demon would not be allowed to just come over unless it proved it was not going to cause trouble, which was not likely.

"Long story." Kurama muttered, trying to sit up and with some help, was able to prop himself with pillows.

Yusuke made it back to see Kurama sitting up. "How yeah doing?" He asked, handing the alcohol to Genkai.

"I have been better." The red head replied and seeing his friend's worried expression, added. "I am sorry Yusuke, I did not know this was going to be complicated, how did you know I was sick and how did you get into my home?"

Yusuke shrugged. "Hey no sweat, I wanted to make sure you at least made it to the front door, so I followed you here." He said scratching the back of his neck and thinking back to how much the red head looked like a drunk when he was trying to get his key in the door.

Kurama looked at the raven haired in confusion.

"Don't tell me you don't remember anything." The raven haired said.

"No…I do not." Kurama muttered, looking down in thought.

Genkai spoke up. "Well it doesn't matter now, what matters is that we get that poison out of you as quickly as possible. I have a medicine that will draw it out. You will need to be washed in alcohol before it is applied to places on your body. I will warn you, even though it will help you heal faster, it will not be pretty. You will still be out for a day or so and will be very weak for awhile after." She picked up the alcohol and the rest of the washcloths. Not even caring the red head was completely naked, she pulled the sheet down. "Can you change to Youko?" She asked again.

The red head shook his head. "No, I have become too weak to use the ki needed…so let us begin and get this over with." He stated, not the least bit embarrassed with the master seeing him naked. With all her years of experience, he knew she could careless what he looked like and was only doing what she needed to heal him.

She washed his whole body with the alcohol and he shivered each time she applied the cold liquid. "This will help cool you some so I can apply the gel." She explained then opened the jar of green gel and started applying it to his forehead, underarms, and inner thighs, using the coarse sponge. She added some to his upper chest and neck area. "These are the areas a body sweats most. I put some on your chest because the aroma will help you sleep." She said and watched as his eyes started drooping. She saw a nod of 'thanks' as he drifted off.

"You can turn around now." She said, placing the sheet back to cover the now sleeping red head.

Yusuke had turned his back as soon as he saw the sheet being pulled down. He knew Kurama didn't care about the old lady seeing him in the buff, but he didn't know if the red head wanted him to see. The raven haired turned back around when she spoke, seeing the now covered figure sleeping. "What now?" He asked.

"We wait."

The raven haired spent the time making phone calls. He knew it was early in the morning, but he wanted Keiko to know where he was and what had happened. After listening to her yell about not being there to help open the restaurant, he explained everything. She apologized and offered to come over and help. He told her it was not necessary and promised to call later. He then called Kuwabara, who said he would be right over. Lastly he contacted Koenma, giving him a heads up on the situation and also telling the Lord he would keep in touch.

Genkai spent the time watching Kurama for any signs of problems. So far everything was going well. He was sweating profusely and she wiped it away before applying more gel.

Yusuke was in the living room on the phone when there was a knock on the door. Kuwabara came in looking scared. "How is he, is he alright, what can I do, where is he?" He asked rambling.

"Relax." Yusuke said. "He's upstairs and grandma is looking after him, so far so good." He put an arm around the big guy's shoulder and led him to the stairs.

Kuwabara gulped. "If he hadn't of took that hit, I would be dead from the poison…that's what you said right?" He asked wanting to confirm what he had been told earlier.

"Yeah, grandma says the poison can kill a ningen pretty quickly." Yusuke said as they made it to the top of the stairs and heard Genkai talking softly. When they entered the room, she was standing on the foot stool so she could reach over her patient. She was brushing his hair with her hand as the red head muttered, though the only words they could make out were 'Hiei', 'stay' and 'no.'

After Kurama seemed to fall deeper into sleep, Genkai got down and sat in the chair that had been placed by the bed.

"Does he miss Hiei that much?" She asked, looking down at the floor where Yusuke had sat down with his back against the bed. He looked over to Kuwabara who was also sitting on the floor, his back against the wall.

"I think so." Yusuke said. "He's been acting strange ever since he told me Hiei wasn't coming back." He told them about Kurama wanting to quit being a tantei, his problems with Koenma and how he and Kuwabara rarely saw him outside of missions. He also told them about the meltdown several months ago. "I mean I knew they were close but I think they had been really close. That's why fox boy has been acting the way he has." He finished.

"What do you mean by 'really close'?" Genkai asked, her eyebrow going up at what she thought he might be meaning.

"Urameshi here seems to think they're together." Kuwabara answered.

She turned to look at the orange haired. "Together?"

Kuwabara started sweating and looking funny, he gulped, looking like he was going to be sick. "You know…together together…like dating." He managed to get out.

"It would not surprise me if those two were mates." She said, looking over at the red head.

"Mates…that sounds sick." Kuwabara said trying not to get images in his head, he was failing.

"Idiot." She scolded. "Demons don't care about relationships like ningens. Where ningens look down on same sex relationships, they don't. They will date and mate their own sex as long as they are happy, not caring what anyone else thinks".

"I think I'm going to be sick…excuse me." The orange haired muttered, getting up and leaving the room. Genkai looked to Yusuke as the door shut.

"Don't look at me, if I'm right, I get twenty buck." He said as she glared at him. "Hey, I think it's great that they care for each other. You know how close the two are and how much Hiei changed after they got together. Besides all that… It's none of my business. They're my friends and if they're happy, then so am I. I'm just mad at Hiei right now for not coming back and putting fox boy though this." He admitted.

"Maybe you're not as big of a dimwit as I thought." She said, giving him a small smile.

After Genkai left for a quick run back to the temple to get a few things and check on Yukina. The boys went downstairs to watch the TV, they left the bedroom door open incase Kurama cried out or needed them.

Kurama had heard most of the conversation from the three, it came in short burst of talk, but he got the jest. He was groggy and wanted to go into a deeper sleep, but for some reason couldn't. What seemed like an eternity later, the voices were gone and he felt more of the gel being placed on his body and forehead before everything went quiet. He fell into a dream state and the conversation before brought back memories he wanted to forget.

_**(dream/flashback)**_

_He had made it back just in time. Yomi had wanted him to attend another meeting that went over his new role in being second in command. He had convinced Yomi to allow him to go back to the ningenkai and take care of a few things first, saying he would be gone for one night only, Yomi had said yes. _

_The real reason Kurama had gone back was so he could contact Mukuro and ask about Hiei. He knew Yomi would be having him watched, but knew he could work around that. The dream he had had the other night was terrifying in more ways than one. Hiei drowning and not being able to save him and what was with the dragon in the field? The dream seemed so real that he had to know if his best friend was in trouble. Mukuro had been very surprised to hear from the fox, wondering how he did it without Yomi knowing. After hearing about Hiei's fight with someone named Shigure and being told of the details, Mukuro flat out assured the panicked fox that the fire demon was going to be fine. She even told him that she would let Hiei contact him when he was better, but that never happened, for reasons unknown. _

_Now Kurama walked quickly to the conference room, where he knew everyone was already waiting. As he pushed open the doors, he was surprised to see only Yomi sitting at the head of the table, a small recorder in front of him. The fox's keen ears picked up the voice of himself talking and before he could figure out what conversation it was, it was turned off and Yomi was talking. _

"_I see you made it back in time. That's good and how is your friend Hiei doing?" The Lord asked with a slight smile on his lips._

"_How would I know?" Kurama answered, keeping his body readings as neutral as possible, knowing Yomi could sense things like quickened heartbeats. _

"_Well…..according to my spies, he was injured by the surgeon known as Shigure and was being treated for his wounds by good old Mukuro." _

"_I see." Kurama said. He could not help but wonder if the recording Yomi had been playing when he walked in was of the conversation between him and Mukuro. 'How the hell did he get that information? I was being as careful as possible when I made contact.'_

_Yomi brought him out of his thoughts. "You're doing very well this time in keeping your body in check. I'm starting to have a hard time reading you now. You adapted quickly, but then again, you always have." He had gotten up and was walking towards the red head with the small smile still on his lips._

_Kurama stood his ground, waiting._

"_Come now. Tell me he's going to be alright. Besides, I've known now for years that you two have been together." Yomi continued and was now standing face to face with the red head._

"_I do not know what you mean by 'together' Yomi, but we were just friends, nothing more." The red head hissed, losing his control. He was starting to sweat and trying very hard not to shake. 'What does he want and what game does he want to play?'_

"_You mean all those times that little fire demon was spending the night at your place in your room was nothing but an innocent sleepover. Now that's hard to believe, knowing the Youko I knew." Yomi said placing his hands in his coat pockets before leaning back against the table._

"_I have changed Yomi." Kurama said and took a slight step back, trying to put as much space as possible between them._

_Before Kurama knew what had happened, Yomi was behind him and had his arms pinned behind his back. He was then pushed over the table and could feel the weight of the Lord leaning on him._

_He felt breath next to his ear as Yomi whispered. "If I were to believe you that would make this body a virgin. Would you like me to believe that?" He gave a slight push. "I will tell you now Kurama, after what you had done to me, I have been dreaming of ways to pay you back. Now if I were to claim you, do you think that little runt would ever want you? Remember…I technically own you now so I would watch myself from this moment on. One false move again and I will have your precious Hiei killed, but not before making sure he saw me claiming you." Yomi gave a hard thrust before letting go and walking calmly out of the room._

_Kurama laid there getting his composer together before putting his arms on the table. He hit his head on the table, cursing himself for being frightened and not doing something. 'Damn these ningen emotions.' He scolded himself, standing up and heading to the door with a flash of gold in his eyes. Youko was mad and ready to take action soon if someone else didn't._

_**(end…dream/flashback)**_

Kurama sat up looking around his darkened room. Someone had pulled the heavy curtains, making the room almost pitch black. He could hear noises from downstairs, 'the TV' he thought. He was still feeling hot and groggy. 'Why did I have to think about that encounter with Yomi now?' Everything worked out in the end. Before Yomi could hurt Hiei and basically rape him, Yusuke showed up with the tournament offer and that had changed the playing field. He had sent word to Hiei via Mukuro about the death threat and then just stayed away from the bastard Lord for the rest of the time until the event.

The red head lay back down and thought about the event itself. He had made his way quickly through the combatants and then it had come down to him facing that Shigure guy. All that talk about wanting to hear his 'story.' Youko just wanted to flat out kill him and would have if he hadn't taken all his mental strength to force the change back. That was when Kurama realized he really did want to stay in the Ningenkai, wanting nothing to do with the new Makai. But he was damn sure, no matter what. Yomi was not going to win.

After his fight with Shigure was over and Yomi had came to help him off the field. The Lord had the nerve to tell Kurama that he still owned him and that he would still seek his revenge. Kurama just told him he would have to do it in the Ningenkai. Yomi had said that if he were to become is heir he would not seek revenge and that they could have all the time in the world to catch up on what he called 'pleasures.' The fox said 'no' and Yomi said 'we will see' before walking away.

Later after the tournament and everyone was heading home. Kurama got a message directly from Mukuro saying to meet Hiei in the woods not to far from the arena. He told Yusuke goodbye and went to meet the fire demon. That was when everything was said. It had been for the best, Yomi would know that Kurama would return to the Ningenkai and Hiei would stay to become Mukuro's heir. He had to let the little fire demon go with no thought as to there being anything going on between them. He was going to do anything and everything he could to protect his best friend, including the one thing that was going to break his heart, which was walking away to another world.

He heard someone coming upstairs and quickly closed his eyes, pretending to still be asleep. He was sick to his stomach thinking about the past and didn't want to talk to anyone. He noticed that whatever gel Genkai had used on him was helping with the ever present headache and he was glad for that. He could feel the presence of Genkai and could sense her looking him over. She wiped away the sweat on his forehead before sitting down on the nearby chair.

a)a)a)a

Kurama's fever broke late that evening and he was now sitting up in bed trying to eat some soup that Yusuke had brought up.

Genkai was still sitting next to the bed. "You will be weak for few days, so take it easy." She said.

"I need to go to work tomorrow. I have already missed today and didn't even get a chance to call and tell someone I wouldn't be in." Kurama said, taking a sip of soup.

Yusuke spoke up. "That's okay fox boy. Someone called this morning and asked for you. I told them you had the flu and that you wouldn't be in." He was coming in the room after seeing Kuwabara out, who had to go and take his exam. He obviously heard Kurama's remark about work.

The red head's head dropped. 'This is going to get the rumor mill really going now.' He sighed.

"Did I do something wrong?" Yusuke asked after seeing the red head lower his head.

Quickly looking up, the red head said. "No…thank you Yusuke, you did the right thing." He stopped any further questions by continuing to eat.

Kurama finally got everyone to leave a few hours later, saying he would be alright now and that Yusuke needed to get home as well as Genkai because of Yukina and Puu.

He promised to take it easy and rest as much as possible. He was going to need it for he was not looking forward to work tomorrow. Having that feeling it was going to be a long day.

End Chapter 7


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Now What? Act 2**

Kurama made his way through the whispering and looks to get to his office. When he opened the door and walked in, he was not surprised to see that the paperwork on his desk had doubled. Getting settled, he was just getting started on the latest stack when Rick knocked on the door.

"Hey, how are you feeling? Bad time to get the flu huh?" He said and had a 'yeah sick my butt' look on his face.

The red head looked up from the folder he had been reading. "I am feeling better, thank you and yes, it was bad timing." He said making sure his voice sounded as tired as he felt and he knew he still looked pale.

"Man you really are sick. Want to go home so your lady friend can take care of you." Rick cooed. "Oh…that's right, I talked to a guy yesterday. He said that he was helping you get better." He smirked.

'Here we go.' Kurama thought and tried not to show his discomfort when he moved in his chair. Even though Genkai had healed his side, it was still tender from the poison and he was just down right sore all over.

"Rough night? Maybe your friend can help you relax." Rick joked, he was definitely trying to get a point across and Kurama was not going to fall for it.

"Rick, if you have a problem with me or with the work I am doing, just tell me. I am not in the mood." Kurama said firmly and went back to reading.

"Man, I just wish I had the life you have." Rick said before walking away with a snicker.

He spent the rest of the day listening to whispered rumors of him being 'gay', and 'bi-sexual', that he must have had one hell of a party and that he was the boss's step-son, so he was getting away with a lot. He knew they were trying to talk so he wouldn't hear, but with his keen hearing, he heard it all.

He was packing up some work to take home when he looked up to see his step-father standing in the door with Rick standing behind him.

"Step-father, what are you doing here?" Kurama said in surprise, yet not, he knew his step-father would hear about him missing work.

"We need to talk Shuiichi." His step-father said turning to look at Rick. "Alone." The man rolled his eyes, walking off. Closing the door, his step-father sat down in a chair facing the desk. The red head sat down his briefcase before sitting back down behind his desk.

"Care to tell me what's been going on with you?" He asked.

Kurama shrugged, saying. "I was sick yesterday…with the flu, but I am better now and will be caught up with work by tomorrow."

"That's fine, but is there a reason you didn't call me or your mother, we had to find out from Rick this morning that you didn't come in yesterday because you were sick. You don't talk to us anymore and your mother is worried sick. And while we're on the subject, I've been told that you are still missing work and coming in late and leaving early…" His step-father berated.

"Step-father, I am sorry. I have had other things to deal with, classes, the seminars and… personal things. I will…" Kurama was interrupted.

"I think maybe I see the problem. I'm the one that needs to apologize. I should have realized that this was too much for you." He held up his hand to stop Shuiichi from interrupting. "Let me finish…you where gone a lot there awhile back and you seemed lost when you returned. Then I just expected you to come in here and train to take over this joint without asking you what you wanted to do. How about you quit for awhile and do the things you want to do and then if you want to come back, you can." The man was studying his step-son, noting how tired he looked.

"Thank you, I will think about it." Kurama whispered.

"Your mother would love for you to come and spend awhile with us and my Shuiichi misses you too." His step-father said, getting up to leave. Kurama stepped around to see him out, when he got a hug.

"I am sorry son…I hope you will talk to your mother when you come to visit." He patted Kurama on the back and was out the door.

The red head went to pick up his personal stuff when Rick came back. "So what did he want?" He asked.

Kurama grabbed his briefcase, saying. "I'm going on hiatus for awhile. You will need to delegate my work and make sure the seminars are cancelled." With that, the red head walked out, not looking back.

The first place he went was to Yusuke's restaurant to have an early dinner. The raven haired was glad to see the fox doing better. Even Keiko gave him a warm smile as she served him his stir-fry.

"So what brings you here so early, I thought you would be neck deep in paperwork." Yusuke said.

Swallowing, Kurama said nonchalantly. "I'm taking a hiatus from work."

Chocolate eyes widened. "Really, don't let diaper boy hear you say that, he'll expect you to show up for all the missions now." Yusuke joked.

"I have been showing up to all the missions, at least for the past several months and it will not be a problem." Kurama growled, taking another bite.

Just then the door opened and Botan walked in. She came over to the counter and sat down with a worried look on her face.

"Hey, what's got you in a pickle?" Yusuke asked

"I'm glad you're here Yusuke." She looked to Kurama. "And you too. The demon Mikai was given his trail and found guilty. He will be serving 20 years in jail."

"That's good…right? I mean I know he has problems, but he did do something wrong."

Yusuke said.

"Yes and 20 years is not a lot of time to a demon." Kurama added.

"But now Sodatsu (1) has made it to the Ningenkai and wants to destroy you all for his brother's arrest and conviction." Botan said. "Koenma wants you all to be on the lookout. He will also let you know if there are any problems with ningens."

"Well how are we to know what this demon looks likes, I mean, come on, doesn't Koenma have a picture of him at least?" Yusuke said, scratching his head.

"They are twins and his name is Sodatsu. Unlike his brother, he does not have mental problems and as you can guess, he is just as deadly."

"Yusuke…maybe we should go to the place where we apprehended Mikai. Sodatsu may be there trying to get clues as to where to find us." Kurama suggested, finishing his meal and getting up.

"Okay, give me a minute to tell Keiko." Yusuke said and walked into the back.

"I'll go tell Kuwabara to meet you there." Botan said, rushing out.

a)a)a)a

By the time the three met up, it was getting dark. Just like with Mikai, they thought Sodatsu might be a night person. They walked several blocks and then back again for an hour with no sign of the demon. They were just getting ready to quit and try another night when Kuwabara sensed him.

"I'm getting that same feeling guys….only this one is different in a way."

"How can it be the same yet different?" Yusuke asked, giving the orange haired a smartass look.

"It's the same aura, but this one's much stronger and more…I don't know 'together' than the other one." The taller man said stopping dead in his tracks with his eyes closed.

Yusuke shut his mouth and was getting worried at the look of seriousness on the man's face.

They didn't have long to wait as a shadow started getting closer, becoming more visible in the street lights. Sure enough, Sodatsu looked just like Mikai and that they even had the same ball cap and the same style of clothes (torn jeans and a shirt) only different colors. The look on the demon's face said he was mad and someone was going to pay.

"Okay Kurama…any ideas on how to stop this guy? I don't think talking to him like we did his brother is going to work." Yusuke asked, planting his feet and standing his ground.

"Agreed." Was all Kurama said as he too stood his ground, waiting to see how this situation was going to play out. He was still feeling weak and was hoping an understanding could be reached, but was ready to fight none the less.

"So you're the three that had my bother arrested." Sodatsu said, walking right up to stand in front of said three. He was a little too close and Yusuke smelled his breath, which was not pretty.

"Hey, haven't you ever heard of personal space, but more importantly haven't you heard of a breath mint?" Yusuke said, taking a hold of all his reflexes so he wouldn't put his hand to his face to wave the air.

"Why you…." Sodatsu growled, losing it as he started throwing punches, hitting nothing as the three dove in three different directions.

"You just had to open your big mouth, didn't you Urameshi?" Kuwabara managed to yell from where he had jumped back into a crouch as he was behind the other two.

Yusuke, having dove and rolled to his left, came up in a low crouch and was getting ready to spring back. "Well…you didn't have to smell his breath." He retorted.

For some reason, even though Yusuke was the one to start the fight. Sodatsu was going after Kurama, who had rolled to his right and was now in a crouch position, reaching in his hair for a rose.

Sodatsu saw Kurama with the rose and started towards him. "You…you were the one that did that thing to Mikai." He hissed.

Kuwabara saw Yusuke ready his spirit gun. "What are you doing?" He asked looking back to see where Kurama was.

"Koenma didn't say anything about us killing him and Kurama's still weak from the attack by the other one, so I'm taking him out." Yusuke informed.

The red head saw past the demon what Yusuke was going to do. He got up and turned just as Yusuke yelled.

"Kurama…look out!" Yusuke yelled, firing his spirit gun blast at the demon that was right behind the red head. Kurama plastered himself to the ground as the blast hit the demon and sent it falling, landing on top of him, pinning him to the ground.

After telling Yusuke for the hundredth time he was alright, Kurama made his way back to his apartment and the surprise that waited.

End chapter 8

1) _Sodatsu _- meaning 'develop'

So did you realize we were back at the beginning of the story, the first scene?


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Is this real or have I lost it?**

"Hiei…it is really you." Kurama whispered, holding the small figure.

"Hn…you can let go now." Hiei grunted, feeling a bit strange by the fox's action.

Kurama let go with a soft. "Sorry." And went to turn on the light, saying. "Why are you here, has something happened with Mukuro?"

"No." Hiei said and then asked about the blood he had smell when he was being hugged, but didn't see until the light was on. "Are you hurt…that's not your blood I smell, but?" He noticed Kurama's white shirt had faded blotches on it and then noticed the tunic he had in his hands.

Kurama shook his head, reassuringly. "No…no…it is not mine….we were dealing with a powerful demon tonight and he ended up landing on me after Yusuke shot him." He said walking over to throw the tunic in the hamper before opening a drawer and pulling out sweats and a t-shirt. "If you do not mind, I would like to take a shower before we get into talking about why you're here. You can go down and help yourself to some food if you like." With that said, he then walked out the room and into the bathroom, closing the door.

Hiei stood there for a moment wondering what was up with the fox, noting how low his ki was and wondering if it was due to the fight. Deciding to ask the fox when he got done with his shower, he went down to get something to eat. He was hungry and Kurama always had good food around.

When the red head made it downstairs, he saw Hiei sitting on the couch with his feet up on the trunk. He had taken off is cloak and was eating out of a left over container. Kurama's hair was still dripping and he was using a towel to dry it as he came over to the other end of the couch to sit down.

"Your ki is low, are you sure you're not hurt?" Hiei asked, not looking up from the container and taking another bite.

"Yes…I'm fine. We had to deal with a demon the other day. The brother of the one we fought tonight and I was poisoned with his claws. With Genkai's help, I was able to fight it, but it did take a lot out of me. I will be fine in a few days." Kurama reassured as he finished drying his hair and threw the towel over the back of the couch. "Now, what are you doing here?" He asked.

Hiei shrugged. "Is it a crime for me to be here?" He said placing the now empty container on the trunk and turning to face the red head.

"No, but how did you know I had moved?" Kurama wanted to know.

"I have my sources." Hiei said, not wanting to tell Kurama that he had went to his old place and had wasted a day waiting on him to come back. Also the thought he had about the nursery that was there now. "And if you must know." He said as an after thought. "I got permission to come and check on Yukina." That too was a lie, but he couldn't tell the fox the reason he came back was to see if he was alright and that he had missed the red head.

"Well." Kurama started, trying to control his emotions. "Yukina is still staying with Genkai. If you went there first then she would have told you that I was here. Are you going to go see Yusuke too before going back?"

Hiei had not been there first. "No." He stammered. "And I'm not going back for awhile." He saw an eyebrow go up, so he said. "It was boring being on patrol and I convinced Mukuro that I would do better for her working on this end, dealing with the demons trying to get here into the Ningenkai."

Kurama's heart was fluttering in his chest as he heard the news and he asked. "Does Koenma know you are back?" But thinking. 'There maybe a chance for me to tell him how I feel.' But then he thought of Yomi and he inwardly sighed.

Hiei was trying to read the red head's mind, but was getting nowhere, so he said. "Mukuro has sent him a message, so I'm sure he knows by now."

"Did you get my message about Yomi and the death threat?" The red head flat out asked it, needing to know if the fire demon knew the risk he was putting himself in, in being near him.

Hiei smirked. "Yes and no one has seen him since he and that kid of his went off at the end of the tournament."

'Maybe Yomi gave up.' Kurama thought, biting his lower lip in thought of what Yomi maybe up to. After all, Yomi still had his men watching him and would know by now that Hiei was here.

"Kurama…" Hiei said making sure the red head looked at him before continuing. "He won't hurt me or you. He can't do much here in this world."

"I would not be so sure about that." Kurama said, more to himself.

"Why, what do you know?" Hiei asked, sitting up.

"Nothing." Kurama said, trying to brush it off. "It is getting late. Koenma wants me and the others in his office in the morning. Will you be staying at Genkai's?" He had grabbed the towel and was heading to the door to show the fire demon out.

Hiei looked down shyly, but Kurama wasn't paying attention. "Um." He tried to say. "I was hoping to stay here…if that's okay." He wanted to be near the fox to see if his feelings were true and he would never admit it openly, but he'd missed the comfort of the red head next to him at night, even though nothing ever happened.

Kurama paused and looked at him. "Um…sure, go on up…I want to get something to drink." He said coming back over to grab the empty container off the trunk before heading towards the kitchen.

Hiei left his cloak and headed upstairs. Making it to the bedroom, he undressed, leaving his underwear on and climbed into bed. He had noticed all the new furniture, but didn't say anything. He must have been more tired then he thought because the next thing he remembered was waking up and seeing the clock. It was 4 am and he noticed that Kurama was not in bed. Getting up, he made his way out of the room and downstairs, where he spotted the red head on the couch, asleep. The red head was muttering and sweating while curled up hugging a pillow. 'Is he alright…he might still be fighting that poison.' He thought and decided to try and read the fox's mind, but as soon as he tried, he was slammed out like a door shutting in his face.

Kurama bolted upright on the couch, looking to the shadow standing there. "What are you doing?" He growled.

Hiei was taken aback. "I…I wanted to make sure you were alright…I….." He was cut off.

"You have no right to read my mind anymore…you lost that right when you decided to stay in the Makai." Kurama hissed standing up, he then went right up to the fire demon, staring at him as best as he could in the dark.

"Sorry." He muttered, not liking the look he was getting. "We have always been able to read each other and I just assumed we still could." He could now feel the anger rolling off the red head.

"Do not assume." Kurama hissed. "You can have the couch. I want 'my' bed back." He then pivoted and walked up the stairs. Hiei heard the door slam and sighed.

'What in the hell was that about?' He thought as he went over to the couch and flopped down, thinking some things over.

'Okay.' He thought. First, back to the last time he had seen the fox. 'That was when we said our goodbyes because I told him I was staying to be Mukuro's heir. Then I gave him the necklace and he said something about friendship and not liking me in that way. Does that mean he doesn't want a relationship with me? He did say it was a joke. Arg…I'm so confused. Okay…I can see why he is mad at me for not staying and he would have been having headaches without me here to keep the mental link open. Damn…I should have thought of that before I left. I should have closed it. Is that why he is mad, but the hug, what was that about, he literally grabbed me, hugging me, but then let go and walked away like nothing happened.'

He pondered about many things until the sun came up. Around 7 Kurama came down already dressed.

"Hiei…." Kurama started after seeing he was up and sitting on the couch. "I want to apologize for last night. I was tired and not thinking." He made his way over to sit beside the smaller demon.

"No need" Hiei said. "I should have gave you notice that I would be stopping by instead of just showing up at your window. It has been a year." He watched for the red head's reaction.

Kurama didn't show any, just nodded. "Yes and in that year our mental connection closed and I could not sense you." He ended up looking at the floor and biting his lower lip again. "We should have closed the connection from the time we parted. The headaches were not too bad, but they did interfere with work some." He admitted.

Hiei felt bad. "I am sorry about that. We should have closed it before we parted." He said softly, watching as the red head lowered his head with a nod. "Kurama…" He waited until the fox looked at him. "Kurama, I want to tell you the truth and…this is hard…I didn't go to see Yukina first…I came straight to see you. I went to your old house and noticed your room had been turned into a nursery and I was a little surprised and mad."

"Nursery." Green eyes blinked. "Why would that make you mad?" Kurama asked, watching the koorime fumble with his words.

"I did think at first that your mother had had another child…that's not what made me mad but…then I thought that you had had a child with someone and…that's what…" Hiei stopped, not knowing how to go on.

Kurama was getting mad now. "Why would you get mad or even care if I had a child with someone. It is not like you and I were together." He said harshly.

"That's not what I mean…I." Hiei fumbled for words.

Kurama took a deep breath before saying. "Listen Hiei, I am glad you are back and I have missed your friendship…you have known for a long time that you were the only one I could talk to, not even Yusuke has taken that place. You are going to have to give me time to adjust to the fact that you are back. And I know that you are going to get bored here and just leave again so let us just leave our mental link closed." He closed his eyes, taking another deep breath before saying softly. "It will just make it easier when you leave."

Hiei was about to say something when Kurama got up and walked to the door. "I need to go and see Koenma now. You can stay here if you wish. I left the window to the bedroom unlocked if you go out. I do not know how long I will be." And with that, he turned and walked out the door, leaving a still very confused fire demon on the couch.

a)a)a)a

Kurama was sitting with Yusuke and Kuwabara in Koenma's office. "Now gentlemen, I don't approve of what you did yesterday. Mikai is really taking it hard and the paperwork is a nightmare." Koenma said, in his toddler form, going through the ever present stacks of paper. "I will however, let this one slid." He looked up at Yusuke. "Don't even say a word."

Yusuke let his chair hit the floor and put a finger to his chest, getting a 'what, me' look on his face.

"Now, onto some other news, the rules and regulations were updated again and are getting better everyday. We also have a new border guard, Mukuro sent Hiei." Koenma said and looked up to see how Kurama was going to take this news. He knew the two had been close friends, which was rare for demons.

Yusuke and Kuwabara also looked to Kurama and he said. "I know he is back, he has already made contact." He didn't let any emotion show in his face or voice.

"Well, he will also being doing missions in addition to border guard. Do you know where he will be staying and can you get in contact with him when I need him?" The demi-god asked still trying to get a reaction out of the fox and the other two were waiting as well for the answer.

"No, I do not…now that you have managed to drag him back. I suggest you give him a communicator and contact him yourself. I think now that Hiei is back, you do not need my assistance anymore and I have a life to live." With that said, Kurama got up and walked out, leaving the others with their mouths hanging open.

a)a)a)a

In the two months since Hiei had been back, he had not seen much of Kurama. He was staying at Genkai's and would hear that the fox had come to visit, only after getting back from border patrol. He had heard that Kurama had started back to work part time, but it was still taking a lot of his life. Out of only a half a dozen missions in those two months he had been back, he had only seen the red head half of that. The fox usually showed up only after having had Botan drag him, or by telling him Yusuke had requested his assistance. Then the fox would fight and after it was over, leave before anyone could talk. Hiei had talk to Yusuke once and got the answer he knew was coming. The raven haired had not seen Kurama since that morning in Koenma's office and that phone calls were going unanswered. The red head was only seen at Genkai's when the fire demon was on patrol.

Two months to the day of his return, Botan came to his border post, saying Koenma needed to see him and the others in his office immediately. The fire demon knew he couldn't wait any longer and was determined to figure out what was going on with the fox and that most importantly. He needed to know his own feeling towards the spirit yoko.

What the fire demon didn't know was that the next mission he would go on would bring his feelings for the fox to the surface.

End Chapter 9

The End

Continues in: _**King Enma's Kishi **_


End file.
